cesah (Germany)

The Centre of Satellite Navigation Hesse (cesah) is a centre of competence for space technologies supported by its shareholders, the State of Hesse, Darmstadt City of Science and well-known industrial and research institutions.

ESA BIC Darmstadt managed by cesah

cesah is contracted to run one of ESA's business incubators in Europe, the ESA BIC Darmstadt, and supports young businesses and start-up companies with development, technical realisation and market implementation of new products and services applying space technologies such as satellite navigation. A major focus with regard to opening up new areas of application is in the field of transport, i.e. aviation, maritime, road and rail traffic as well as in geodesy and agriculture.

An accurate position determination using satellite navigation is just as important as providing a high-precision time measurement, which can be used for synchronization of telecommunication networks, measuring energy workload of power suppliers, accurate timing of complex transactions in banking, finance and insurance industry.

Thanks to the ESA BIC network, European entrepreneurs with innovative ideas receive help in getting their business started. cesah’s objective is to support this process actively. This starts with scouting for promising ideas and continues with the support towards a Europe wide ESA BIC alumni network.

Technology Transfer at cesah

As a technology broker for ESA we focus on adapting technologies that were developed for space programmes for non-space applications. This includes the transfer of software- and hardware-related technologies such as to commercial applications of satellite systems, but also the transfer of know-how such as development processes and methodologies used in the space business. We assess market needs in the non-space sectors and match those needs with existing or novel space technologies or services. In addition, we also support the transfer process itself.

Networks and Partners

We have direct and long-term links with the Space sector through our shareholders Telespazio VEGA Deutschland and T-Systems International, who are involved in space programmes such as Galileo and Copernicus amongst many others. We have strong links to ESA/ESTEC, ESA/ESOC, the European GNSS Agency, DLR research institutes (in particular Brunswick and Munich), and Fraunhofer Institutes in Darmstadt, Nuremberg and Magdeburg.

Corresponding links exist to academic institutions developing space technologies, such as Technical University Darmstadt and University of Stuttgart. cesah also maintains links to the German GNSS Test-beds, namely GATE, Sea Gate, Rail Gate, Automotive Gate and Aviation Gate.

Although not belonging directly to the space sector, the GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung located in the north of Darmstadt represents one of the most innovative centres of its kind in the world. One of our experts is actively involved in the GSI extension with a new accelerator facility FAIR, currently under construction.

Examples of non-space sector networks we are involved in include the Forum for Satellite Navigation, the InGeoForum and ITS Hessen e.V., where cesah is a founding member. Through the latter network cesah in turn is connected to House of Logistics and Mobility (HOLM) as well as ITS Germany. In addition, cesah represents Hesse in NEREUS, the “Network of European Regions Using Space Technologies”.

cesah also partners with individual institutions, such as the Hessian Administration for Land Management and Geoinformation (HLBG), and maintains strong links to Hessen-Forst, FRAPORT, German Air Traffic Management (DFS) and German Association for Agriculture DLG e.V.

Services provided by cesah

As a centre of competence, cesah serves as the central knowledge resource for space technologies and their applications.

cesah organises subject-specific as well as custom-designed matching events and is your point of contact for space technology transfer in Germany and beyond.

As an incubation centre, cesah supports technical development, realization and market implementation of new products and services applying space technologies.

cesah is managing the ESA BIC Darmstadt on behalf of ESA and is your point of contact for innovative incubation ideas that apply space technologies; we have a permanent call for tenders and a standardized selection procedure.

cesah is the point of contact for your participation in the yearly European Satellite Navigation Competition (ESNC) in the Hesse region.

Our key success factor is the network of experts from ESA and the cesah associates in close co-operation with regional and international partners.